A senior Coventry bobby is on a mission to improve the lot of victims and witnesses as they go through the courts in the city and the West Midlands.

Insp Ryan Howat, who was shortlisted in the public sector category of the Evening Telegraph Pride of Coventry and Warwickshire Community Awards in 2004, has moved on from Chace Avenue Police station.

He is now part of the West Midlands Police Criminal Justice Unit, based in Birmingham.

The unit works to improve public confidence in the criminal justice system by getting more criminals into court and by enforcing non-custodial sentences.

It also aims to focus more on victims and witness-es to ensure they feel well treated throughout the criminal justice process.

Insp Howat, who has spent all but 14 months of his 17-year police career in Coventry, now has responsibility for criminal justice at all 21 police stations in the West Midlands, including the three in Coventry.

He said: "It is about taking charge of criminal justice and making sure we deliver, bringing more offences to justice, but also giving a greater service to victims and witnesses of crimes.

Insp Howat said he was also looking at a new punishment called "con-ditional caution-ing", in which an offender receives a caution on condition they make amends for what they have done, such as graffiti vandals clearing up their mess.